Charenton Man Indicted for Assault on Chitimacha Tribal Officers

U.S. Attorney’s Office
February 15, 2013

Western District of Louisiana(318) 676-3641

LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a federal grand jury indicted David Frederick, 37, of Charenton, Louisiana, Thursday on four counts for assaulting three people, two of which were Chitimacha tribal police officers.

According to the indictment, Frederick is charged with two counts of assaulting, resisting, and impeding the work of law enforcement on the Chitimacha Tribal Reservation on January 27, 2013. He also is charged with one count of assault by a non-Indian on an Indian reservation and one count of interstate domestic violence against an intimate partner. The criminal activity took place on the Chitimacha Reservation.

If convicted, Frederick faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both with up to three years of supervised release for each assault count. He also faces a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both with one year of supervised release for the assault within Indian Country count. He also faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both with up to three years of supervised release for the Interstate domestic violence count.

Jurisdiction in Indian Country is based upon the unique sovereign relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes. Congress has criminalized certain acts that take place in Indian Country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes all felony and misdemeanor cases arising in Indian Country that are within the jurisdiction of this office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes cases arising in Indian Country involving felonies where either the defendant or the victim is an Indian or both the defendant and the victim are Indian. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also prosecutes cases involving misdemeanors where the defendant is a non-Indian.

An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chitimacha Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. McCoy are prosecuting the case.